Worth It
by Seijitsuna Yuri
Summary: Everything falls apart in a moment, and when Hermione receives a risky chance at changing the future, how will she proceed? Time Travel fic. Hermione X Sirius - Lily X James - Remus X Nymphadora
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine (thanks for rubbing it in).**

Prologue

Hermione Granger was zigzagging across the grounds through the battle, trying to get back to the castle. She ducked and dodged spells that strayed her way, occasionally sending her own toward the opponent of a struggling ally.

Despite her current mad dash toward the castle doors, Hermione had been fighting with renewed vigor ever since Harry had been revealed to be alive, as were every one of their allies in sight. But she couldn't help but hold onto a feeling of dread as the battle drew on. Voldemort himself was fighting amongst the fray, as was Harry, and they had both disappeared into the castle not long ago. Hermione was doing her utmost to follow them, despite obstacles.

When she finally managed to reach the great, broken, oak doors and pick her way through the debris, she caught a glance of Harry and the Dark Lord dueling themselves right through the Entrance Hall toward the Great Hall, their stray spells and curses flying everywhere and hitting things and people indiscriminately. They were soon obstructed from her view as Voldemort backed Harry through the doors.

Desperately trying to catch up, she dove through and around the separate duels taking place about the Hall, and had just made it to where she could see the two leaders again when she was suddenly caught by an unexpected curse.

The Cruciatus had he on her knees in seconds, and as she writhed and screamed on the ground, a familiar cackle drifted to her ears.

Bellatrix.

The moment the curse ended Bellatrix kicked her in the ribs, and began cooing at Hermione in that shrill, giggling, insane tone she had. "Look what we have here… The little mudblood come back for more. I never did finish with it did I?" Bellatrix paused and then cackled as she sent another _crucio _Hermione's way

Hermione's seemingly incessant screams were attracting attention. Faintly hearing someone call her name in the background of her own screams, it occurred to Hermione that she was distracting Harry. The moment she was released – so Bellatrix could continue to taunt her no doubt – Hermione cast a nonverbal silencing spell upon herself. She had been amazed to find she hadn't dropped her wand, and Bellatrix hadn't bothered to disarm her.

Perhaps an attempt at her attacker would have put it to better use, but all she could think was that her screams were distracting Harry from his mission. She couldn't have that. The next moment she got was a bit longer, however.

The insane witch had not meant to stop, but had been hit by a curse sent her way. The pain stopped a bit longer this time, and her vision had cleared by the time she was able to look up. Someone was dueling Bellatrix. After a moment to clear her head, Hermione recognized it as Ron. Hope coursed through her as she was able to take the time to get her bearings and remove the silencing spell she had cast. She staggered to her feet, coughing up blood as she tried to throw her own curses at the abomination that presumed to call itself a human.

They may not have been doing particularly well, but they were holding their own.

That is, until Bellatrix threw the knife.

Suddenly everything went to hell. Ron screamed her name, while Hermione, shell shocked, staggered and fell backwards, knife buried hilt deep between her breasts. She cracked her head on the marble floor and suddenly everything was black.

When she resurfaced, Luna was standing over her, desperately trying to hold off Bellatrix with Ron. They were not doing well. Hermione groaned and almost screamed as she tried to move, and was only able to roll onto her side. Her hand found her wand on the ground beside her, but her brain was far too fuzzy for her to use it.

In fact at that moment she turned her head and heaved up a mixture of blood and vomit. Ron glanced over at her. But that was the moment's distraction Bellatrix needed

Ron tried to dive away at the last minute, but the curse caught his foot. And so he landed not 3 feet away from Hermione, far too still and limp to be alive.

One last scream ripped its way out of Hermione's throat, and her hands, unable to reach him, clutched at her own wounds, her hair, her neck, anything to hold onto. She heard as if from far away Harry's scream of horror, having seen his best friend fall, and Voldemort's answering cackle, so like that of his insane follower. Hermione turned her head just in time to see Harry go down as well, her hands quite suddenly finding the chain that had hung around her neck for five years now.

Her time-turner. She pulled it out, and for half a second she thought… Could she…? No. No, she could do nothing with it. It was far too late.

But just as she started to break, a bolt of light shot past Luna, a misdirected curse. And out of all the odds, it directly hit the time turner in Hermione's hand.


	2. Desperation

Desperation

It was almost curfew, and Sirius was truly excited for the first time in weeks. The pranking was about to begin.

The Marauders had decided it was "necessary" to pull a few big ones before the upcoming full moon. They had been fairly quiet by way of pranks since the end of last year. Becoming animagi and exploring their new abilities had been very distracting, not to mention trying to work out how best to use these new abilities to help Remus when they got back to school this year. But all of them disappearing at the full moon had been made a little more obvious when their pranking had dwindled to practically nothing.

And so the Marauders had gotten their game back on, and the school was about to receive the mother-load of pranks to make up for the recent lacking. All four of them were just walking in from the grounds, having taken a walk after supper to discuss some of the finer points of their plans for tonight.

They were bubbling with excitement, and eager to get started as they passed through giant old, oak doors into the Entrance Hall. As they strolled casually toward the grand staircase ahead, they each prepared to hide themselves in a separate way. Peter would simply transform, a rat was practically invisible in the dark castle after all. Sirius would take the Invisibility Cloak, doing his best work alone and unseen, and Remus and James would have the Marauder's Map.

They had done this a thousand times, and it was sure to go perfectly. Except that it wouldn't go at all.

They had almost reached the stairs when loud thump, a rustle of cloth, and a groan of agony sounded behind them. Sirius spun on the spot and stepped around Peter to look behind them. He could hear the sound of ragged breath coming from a dark shape on the ground and could even see it rustle a bit as he took a few hesitant steps toward it. Just when he was close enough to make out a few more features, moonlight fell over the figure from the window. Sirius broke into a sprint.

It was a girl. She lay sprawled out on her back on the ground, and a small puddle of blood pooled around her right side. Most of it seemed to have come from the knife in her chest, buried hilt deep in her torso. Pain twisted the features of her face and her eyes were squeezed shut, every ragged breath drawing a wince from her. Her hands were clenched around something hanging from a chain around her neck, and a thin web of blood spilled from them.

Her eyes shot open at the sound of his pounding footsteps and those of his friends behind him. Her head turned the slightest bit toward them, and a gasp and a wince followed her sighting them. Sirius was kneeling by her side not a moment later though, and the more he looked over her, the worse she seemed. Blood was matted in the hair at the back of her head, and Sirius didn't think legs bent like that naturally. Sirius had never seen someone in such bad shape.

"S-Sirius?"

The soft, stuttered word took him by surprise. How on earth did she know his name?

"Wh- where is… H-how can… Sirius p-please…" Sirius was floundering, shocked. He had pulled out his wand, and could hear James behind him, telling Peter to get McGonagall and Dumbledore as fast as he could. Suddenly the girl on the ground seemed to spasm. She careened out a scream and writhed. One of her bloody hands left her neck and grasped at the knife in her chest and more blood poured out from around the blade.

Finally, Sirius made a decision. She was making it worse, and they didn't have time to wait for the teachers, not with the way she looked. He aimed and twisted his wand and a moment later she was limp again from his stunning spell. Her hand fell from the hilt of the knife, and Sirius grasped it instead, thinking to pull it out and quickly heal her before she lost too much blood. The moment he touched it however, he jerked his hand back.

James, who had knelt down on her other side, reached for it too, assuming Sirius had simply been hesitant to do anything that might harm her further, having come to the same conclusion that they had to act. But Sirius yanked James' hand away.

"Prongs that knife – it's… It's dark, mate. If we take it out we won't be able to heal her." James looked as horrified as Sirius felt, but he knew he had to do something. James swallowed his horror and turn to the wound on her head, as Sirius called out to Remus.

"Moony, do you know a blood replenishing spell? I can only think of the potion, but we don't have any. We can't let her lose any more blood!" He spoke urgently to the young man standing behind him.

"No, but..." Remus trailed off as he knelt beside Sirius, thinking hard. After a pause Sirius turned back to the girl and ripped her shirt away from around the blade in her chest.

"_Sigillanda Circa_," he said, trailing his wand around her skin where the blade met flesh. "It hasn't stopped the bleeding, but none of it should escape her body from here where I've sealed. It's just until we can think of a blood replenishing charm."

He had never been so grateful for how much his family had exposed him to the Dark Arts. If he hadn't been able to tell the knife was imbued with dark magic she would have died soon after they pulled it out. Now he was thinking of ways he could counter act it. Spells ran through his head, dark spells he had come across or encountered at home.

Remus was nodding, but then paled, and drew Sirius's attention back to the knife wound. "Sirius, take off the sealing charm!"

Black veins were spreading out around the knife like an evil spider's web, pulsing as it worked its way out. Sirius immediately did as Remus had said, and watched as black blood slowly receded from the girl's skin and slid out the open wound. Sirius pressed on, not wanting to think about how strong a curse must have been imbued upon the knife for it to spread like that.

"Well then. Blood replenishing charm anyone?" Sirius queried, letting a bit of desperation sound in his voice.

"Actually, I might have it now," Remus jumped in, his eyebrows furrowing as he leaned in. He spoke an incantation over her, and all three boys watched as the girl's deathly pale face suddenly flushed. James slapped Remus' back and the two turned to begin working on her other injuries.

Sirius watched them for a moment as they quickly and efficiently set her leg, patched up the wound on her head, and the turned to a large gash in her side. After a moment they realized they could do nothing with it, however, and moved on. It must have been inflicted with a dark spell. After a moment Sirius realized he recognized it, even. He turned to it, still thinking of what he could do with the knife wound.

A solution finally occurred to him as he finished magically stitching the gash in the girl's side together and sealing it. Sirius felt like an imbecile. It was so obvious. He stopped, and got James and Remus's attention.

"I have something for the knife," he said quickly. "I need your help. Moony, replenish her blood again."

"Padfoot…" James hesitantly protested, but Sirius cut him off with a firm look.

"Trust me, Prongs." James shut up. It was common knowledge to the Marauders that Sirius knew far more of and about the Dark Arts than he probably should. And he knew Sirius was intending to use that knowledge. James didn't like it, but he knew it must be necessary if Padfoot was even _considering_ sullying himself like that.

James and Remus both stood and backed away at Sirius' command, as Sirius himself took the hilt of the cursed blade in his left hand holding the tip of his wand to it with his right. Sirius closed his eyes and took a deep steadying breath, preparing himself, already able to feel the darkness of the blade's curse pushing at his grip.

He thought back to every time he had seen his father with a new dark object. They were like beings themselves, able to be mastered and controlled, but posed the risk of overpowering you if you attempted to do so. But if Sirius could master this blade, he knew he could draw it's curse out of the dying girl that lay before him.

"_Ego dominaberis tibi_," he whispered. _I master thee_. Immediately a force assaulted his mind. It was almost like being attacked by a legilimens. Blacks were taught occlumency for more than one reason it seemed. He was able to hold off the blade's power fairly easily, but now he had to dominate it. "_Servire, ego præcipio_," he said, slightly louder this time. _Serve, I command_. Sirius's face screwed up as he forced the power of the blade back into it's container with his mind. Even after it had been sealed back in, he maintained the pressure upon the now seemingly dormant curse.

_Now step three_, Sirius thought to himself. "_Avocare_." _Withdraw thyself_. And he slowly began to draw the knife out. The girl started having trouble breathing, and a wail of sorts ripped from her throat, unconscious or not. Sirius didn't let it break his concentration. He continued to pull the knife out, making sure every moment the curse was coming with it.

Finally, the knife was free. With a wave of Sirius's wand, the deep stab-wound was naught but a raised pink line covered in blood. She girl let out an unconscious sigh of relief, and Sirius rocked back on his heels to sit on the cold marble floor. His two friends took this as a silent invitation to re-approach. The knife was still clutched in his left hand, and he could now see that his knees and pants in general were covered in the blood he had been kneeling in.

Just then, all three boys looked up at the clatter of several people swiftly entering the hall. Dumbledore looked almost as regal in a dressing gown as he did in his wizard robes, if a bit thinner. He and McGonagall, soon followed by Madam Pomfrey and Peter, strode towards them with quite concerned expressions. Sirius quickly stood to greet them.

"Before we tell you everything we know, just know she's not in danger of dying any second anymore," Sirius began, holing up a placating hand. "But she is certainly still in need of severe medical attention. We healed or sealed most of the bleeding wounds, and used a blood replenishing charm a couple times…" Sirius sighed and looked down at the knife still grasped in his left hand. After a long moment, he offered it to the Headmaster. Dumbledore's eyebrows rose. Here James jumped in, noticing his best mate was doing his best to appear calm, when in reality he was probably shaking from the inside out. At best, his façade exuded weariness.

"Professor, that knife was embedded in the girl's chest. It's cursed. It was killing her and we couldn't wait for you, so Sirius managed to… I'm not really sure, actually…" James trailed off looking sheepish, sparing a glance at Sirius before jumping back in. "But whatever it was it worked, and he got it out and was able to heal her!"

As James ended on that enthusiastic note, Remus noticed their professors still looked supremely confused and alarmed. He decided to start at the beginning, but he could not help but look a bit disturbed as he related the happenings.

"Anyway, as soon as we realized she was injured Pete went up to fetch you, but as Sirius said, she couldn't wait. We had to stun her she was thrashing so much, but… We did our best." The four boys, Peter having joined them, looked up expectantly at their professors. McGonagall and Pomfrey swept around them to inspect the girl, gasping slightly at the sight before them.

Dumbledore, on the other hand, turned to Sirius and gingerly took the knife by the hilt, minding a warning from Sirius about the blade. Only Sirius was close enough to see the headmaster's eye widen in the darkness. Dumbledore summoned what looked like an engraved oak jewelry box, and set the cursed knife in it as it hovered beside him.

"I think," the headmaster said in a slow, calm voice, "we will be having words tomorrow, . I'm interested in knowing how you defeated that particular type of curse…" Dumbledore trailed off, but his eyes pierced Sirius, and the boy nodded with a resigned expression.

Dumbledore finally turned to the girl Poppy and Minerva were inspecting. They had had a time wrestling with the girl's clothes to get a good look at her, and finally simply vanished the girl's jacket. The result was a quiet, horrified gasp from the transfiguration professor.

"Albus!" She called softly, but urgently. The boys quietly crowded around to try and see what had so shocked the steady woman. She was holding up the girl's left arm, the one they had never attended to, as it was not severely injured. Now free of her jacket sleeves, they could clearly see the jagged scars across it that spelled out a most hated word.

_Mudblood_.

**A/N Feedback? Pretty please? I need some encouragement on this story…**


	3. Discoveries

**A/N ** Thank you to everyone who left a review on this story, it's much appreciated :) I particularly hope for reviews that are more feedback than encouragement, so if you have any thoughts on my style, wording, or plot (anything really) feel free to leave it in a review. Thanks!

**PLEASE READ: **I've decided on a couple things about this story that are going to differ from the canon. **1.** Tonks is going to be older in this story. This is because Hermione will be changing the future, and though I feel Nymphadora and Remus were meant for each other, I don't think it would have happened taking into account these changes. I will expand on this at a later date, if anyone is interested. **2.** This one is debatable. James is going to be a seeker. Many people believe that James is a chaser. I do not (mostly due to the Snape's memory in OotP in which James is playing with the snitch, a few other clues I can't reference). So please don't come to me and complain, I won't change James into a chaser.

**A**side from that, feel free to correct me on anything I get wrong, so I can verify and change it. Thanks XX

Discoveries

Sirius drifted silently along behind Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Pomfrey, his form concealed by James's invisibility cloak. The Marauders had been sent to bed, but there was no way Sirius was going to leave without some more answers. With a pointed glance at his best mate, Sirius had thrown on the cloak and gone after them.

The girl was being levitated in by Pomfrey, the woman being very careful not to let her knock into anything. They soon made it to the hospital wing, and the girl was gently laid on the bed farthest back from the door, the very same Remus used regularly after full moons, and the area was cordoned off. Sirius stepped very close to the bed to make sure he wasn't cut off as the walls rose up, then quickly stepped back toward them so as not to be trapped between the staff and the bed.

"Poppy," Dumbledore spoke softly, "if you would, please give her one last once-over, and then we'll see if she'll wake, shall we?"

"Of course, Albus," Pomfrey said, and quickly set about examining the girl. She healed a few smaller injuries as she went along, but after a while she turned grimly back to the Headmaster to give her report.

"Well, between my work and those boys she seems to be in fairly good shape for the moment, but long term… Truly I'm not sure. From the residual magic on her I'm sure she's been tortured. I believe it may have been the Cruciatus curse Albus," Pomfrey stated candidly. "Her muscles are contracting at random intervals, though at the moment they are held in place by the stunning spell she was hit with. As far as I know, that's only common with prolonged exposure to a severe power level of the curse, not that there's been much research done on that particular subject…" Pomfrey trailed off here, sparing a pitying glance at the girl on the bed behind her.

"I can't be sure how long these and any other side effects will last if it was the Cruciatus. But I'm sure she is in pain, and probably will be until the effects fade, however long that may be." Pomfrey finished her report in grim solemnity. A long silence followed as everyone thought about what the medi-witch had said.

The Cruciatus… Sirius was horrified. He had seen the evidence of torture written all over her only an hour or so before, but… He thought back to what Poppy had said. "…prolonged exposure to a severe power level of the curse…" He couldn't even imagine, and he had experience with the curse.

Dumbledore's calm voice drew Sirius out of his thoughts.

"Thank you Poppy, your expertise is appreciated. Shall we see if she will wake?" It was a rhetorical question. Neither woman said a word as the headmaster aimed his wand. "Rennervate."

Sirius watched closely, but at first it seemed to do nothing. Then the girl let out a grimace and a long groan, rolling to her side and reaching for something she seemed to think would be beside the bed. Her hand was met with air, and he eyes snapped open, an alarmed expression mixing with her grimace of pain. She pulled herself quickly into a sitting position, but her muscles seemed to spasm, and she lost her balance on the bed and fell off the side. Sirius almost stepped forward to try and catch the poor girl, but caught himself just in time and stepped back instead, pressing against the newly erected walls, giving her space. She was still scrambling, trying to free herself of the now tangled sheets around her and get to her feet.

But when she had finally freed herself and was trying to stand, supporting herself with the bed, she doubled over in pain, her knees hitting the ground once more with a gasp. Her face fell onto the bed, her arms around her stomach and her upper body slouching against the side of the bed. Then she was desperately coughing, and Sirius could see the small spray of blood that infected the fitted sheet on the bed. It all happened so fast, but by this time Pomfrey had made it to the girl's side, and calmly helped her up to sit on the side of the bed as the coughing subsided.

The girl was breathing hard, and flinched away from Pomfrey's touch as she realized it was there. Her hands were fisted in the sheet on the bed, and she seemed to be looking at the bloody stain she had left on it. Her curly hair was dirty and damp from sweat and grime, and it fell into her face, obscuring her expression. She took a few quiet moments as she shakily caught her breath, her muscles still jerking every now and then. Sirius saw a few drops of water stain the sheets beside the blood. She was crying.

Sirius's heart hurt. This girl reminded him of himself, except even worse off than he had been that night… Sirius quickly stopped his thoughts from wandering, turning back to the matter at hand.

The girl was raising her head, and fear and pain were etched onto her tear-stained, bloody face. That was no surprise, at this point, but the shock, disbelief, and horrified suspicion and following conviction that crossed her face in quick succession were rather startling. Her chocolate brown eyes hardened, fixed on Dumbledore.

"Who are you?" The girl's voice was breathy, hoarse, and weak, and her chin shook as she spoke – but the words were venomous.

The only hint of confusion on Dumbledore's face was a barely noticeable crease between his eyebrows. He kept his calm façade up perfectly as he answered the girl's venomous question. "I am Albus Dumbledore, madam."

Her lip curled in a disgusted sneer, and she gave a sharp, but soft, laugh. "Then prove it. Do your worst, but I don't know how you can hope to fool me with this ploy, whoever you are." She glanced around, taking in the small, dark, closed-off section of the hospital wing in which she now sat. Another short muscle spasm hit as she shot a "well?" in Dumbledore's direction, and it came out high-pitched and pain broken.

The girl shoved herself back towards the head of the bed as Dumbledore made to sit at the end of it, in front of her. She brought her knees up to her chest, and grimaced at the sight of blood on her jeans. But her attention was drawn back to the Headmaster seated before her as he spoke.

"I am not sure madam, why it is you feel you cannot believe that I am Albus Dumbledore, however I would inquire as to how I could prove it to you? I am hoping you can trust me. I only desire to help you."

The girl's eyes narrowed as he spoke. Sirius could see suspicion, and even slight confusion in her eyes, and he watched as her hands tightened on the fistfuls of sheet she had clamped in each fist. "T-" her voice wavered, whether from pain or something else, Sirius didn't know, but she pressed on. "Tell me something only he could know. U- unless you've managed to get to Aberforth, this question should do it. Who killed your s- sister?"

There was a silence. The headmaster's eyes visibly narrowed. It was unheard of.

"We don't know. It could have been any of the three of us dueling around her." The headmaster's voice was slow, and graver than Sirius had ever heard it.

But the girl wasn't done. "And who were the three of you?" Another pause followed before Dumbledore answered.

"Myself, my brother Aberforth, and… And Gellert Grindelwald. And now, if I may ask a question of my own: How, exactly, have you managed to come across this information?" But the girl didn't seem to hear him. Her forehead was scrunched, and she was chewing her bottom lip in deep concentration.

She glanced significantly at McGonagall, and then Pomfrey, and then back to Dumbledore, before beginning to mumble under her breath, looking over herself. Her hands ran over her ripped shirt, pulling at the rip to see the raised pink line where the cursed knife had previously resided. She ran a hand over the etched word on her left arm, and winced as she touched the cursed gash on her side that Sirius had sealed.

He silently stepped closer so he could hear her soft words.

"But it happened… I'm proof… But, but – " but there the headmaster interrupted her train of thought.

"Please, just tell us your name, my dear." At these words the girl froze. Sirius watched as her jaw went slack, her eyes widened, and she slowly looked up from the bed to face Dumbledore.

"You… You don't – don't know my name." It was a statement, but Sirius could hear the question in the words. Apparently, so could Dumbledore. He raised his eyebrows and slowly shook his head.

Everyone watched intently as the girl let her head fall back to rest on the wall behind her, eyes wide. She stared intently at the ceiling for a moment. Then she gasped. For a moment Sirius though it was a gasp of pain, but as her hands flew to her neck and she pulled on a chain that lay there, he realized it wasn't.

The pendant on the chain had fallen back into her shirt, and as she pulled it out to look at it, Sirius got a good look from beside her as well. There were two hinged metal rings around a circular metal plate, with an empty hourglass shape in the center. At the top and bottom on the hourglass shape, a couple pieces of broken glass stuck out, covered in dried blood. Thinking back, Sirius recalled her clutching the pendant when they found her, and blood had flowed from her hands.

After staring at it for a few moments, the girl closed her hands over it, and a resigned look came to her face. She closed her eyes and sighed, slipping the pendant back under her ripped – but still somewhat decent – shirt. She looked back up at Dumbledore. A shy, nervous look had drifted onto her face, so different from the spiteful, defiant look she had worn only a few minutes previously. It made her look shockingly innocent, though the effect was somewhat tainted by hints of her ever-present pain.

"Pr- Professor Dumbledore, Sir… I… I apologize for… _that_. I hope you'll forgive me, I…" She sounded as if she was about to say something important, but then thought better of it, shaking her head dismissively. She continued, still stuttering with pain in places. "M- My name is, um, Serenade Corvus."

Corvus? As in, the constellation, The Crow? That had to be fake. That, along with the minute hesitation she had allowed, had Sirius convinced. It was a lie, that couldn't possibly be her real name. Now he was wondering if Dumbledore had come to the same conclusion. But "Serenade" kept talking, so Sirius quieted his thoughts and continued to listen. … This had to be a record for listening on his part.

"I w- will answer your questions, sir. But, I - Perhaps I should wait until morning. My head is not it's c- clearest, and from experience I know that sleep will do w- wonders for these tremors." Sirius saw both of the other women in the room blanch at the thought of her having experience in such a thing as that, but forced himself to keep his attention on her words as she continued. "But I swear, come morning, and perhaps a more… _private_ audience, I will be as f- forthcoming as possible." She paused and gave him a long look before speaking again. "I do trust you, professor."

Dumbledore rose, nodding slowly, a kind look fixed upon his ancient features. "Of course Miss Corvus, that can be arranged. And perhaps, a dreamless sleep potion, as well?" he asked, and smiled kindly as she gave a relieved nod. "Well, then, I hope you will be comfortable here, in our hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey will see to your needs, and then we'll have a potion for you. Tomorrow, when you are ready to speak with me, simply notify Madam Pomfrey, and someone will see you to my office."

"T- Thank you sir," Serenade said, and a grateful smile graced her face. A weight seemed to have lifted from her shoulders, and Sirius could tell her smile would have been beatific if she hadn't been in so much pain. As it was it was tight, at best.

Dumbledore turned to leave, but she quickly called him back. "Actually, professor, I was wondering… D- do you have my wand? I can't help but n- notice… It's not here." She sounded anxious, as if this question might get her in trouble. But Dumbledore had no such reaction. He simply reached into his pocket and pulled it out.

"Oh, of course," he said as he handed it to her, "My apologies Miss Corvus, it slipped my mind."

The moment it was in her reach Serenade snatched it, and clasped it tightly with both hands, holding it to her chest. She took a deep, calming breath. She acted like someone was going to try and take it from her. "T- Thank you, sir."

And with that Dumbledore swept out, McGonagall close behind. Madam Pomfrey stepped closer, and sat on the bed in front of the still shaking girl. "Alright dear, if you want, I can draw up a bath for you? You're absolutely filthy, and the hot water should do something to soothe your muscles."

Serenade smiled softly. "Y – Yes please. That sounds… Good. Thank you."

"Of course, dear. I'll draw it up right here, I don't want you to have to walk too far." Madam Pomfrey turned and began to conjure up a standing tub and hot water, and Sirius knew that was his queue to leave. He was just thinking out how to sneak out unnoticed, when Serenade spoke up again.

"Um, Madam Pomfrey? I… I was wondering if y- you could tell me… Well, I saw Sirius Black earlier. I assume t- that wasn't a dream… What- well, what year is he in?" She seemed reluctant to ask, but anxious to hear Pomfrey's answer.

Her words had reminded Sirius that the girl had known his name, when he had first approached her. But he didn't know how on earth that was possible. He had never seen her before in his life, and if the slur carved into her skin had any truth to it, she couldn't know his family.

"Sirius Black? Yes, you must have seen him earlier. He saved your life, dear." Sirius grimaced at the ridiculously candid statement. But what surprised him, was that Serenade didn't look at all surprised.

"Y- yes, I wondered who had dealt with the knife…" She looked down and traced the exposed pink line between her breasts, swallowing hard. "I thought perhaps Professor Dumbledore, but having s- seen Sirius, I would assume it was him…"

That statement alarmed him. How could she know of his experience with the dark arts? There was no doubt everyone knew of his family's interest in it, but his being disowned and everything… Well, no one really suspected he could have been taught as much as he had been before Hogwarts.

But this girl… Who was she?

Madam Pomfrey was giving her a strange look, as if she wanted to why, but instead she simply answered the girl's original question. "Sirius Black is a Fifth year," the woman paused for a moment to scoff at the thought. "One would think that, being fifteen, he and his friends would have matured a bit. But no. I've had them here in the hospital wing more times than I can count. Even just this year, in the short two months we've made it into term… Goodness." At this Pomfrey sighed, and stuck her wand into her pocket, having finished her bath preparations.

"Alright dear, let me help you with the bath, if that's alright. I don't trust that you'll be able to do it on your own, in this state." Serenade nodded gratefully and quietly thanked her, a thoughtful expression still present on her face.

Now Sirius was beginning to panic. He needed to find a way out, and soon. He was contemplating simply opening the door and slipping out quietly as he could, and hoping neither of the women noticed the door opening on its own.

But he was saved, as Pomfrey turned toward the door. "Actually dear, wait just one moment, I'm going to go get your sleep potion, and a pain potion if you care for it. I want you to be able to go right to bed when we're done, you must be exhausted."

And with that she swept out, leaving the door wide open behind her, and Sirius gratefully escaped.

Sirius slipped off the cloak and shoved it into his jacket. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. It was a habit he had picked up from James, though it only manifested when he was too preoccupied to stop himself.

He was just coming up to the portrait hole, and –knowing that it wasn't _that_ late – he didn't want anyone who might be in the common room to see the portrait open on its own. And there were quite a few older years left that he could see once he arrived though, as he drifted over to the still roaring fire to look for his mates.

James and Peter were sitting on the two armchairs closest to the hearth and Remus was sitting on the floor with a book, his back leaning against Peter's chair. James saw him coming and opened his mouth, but Sirius silenced him with a look.

"Alright, up-up-up boys, it's time for our daily very suspicious shuffle up to our room. We're need to plan merlin knows what horrors to inflict upon the school," Sirius announced loudly to the whole common room. A few people chuckled.

Marlene McKinnon had directed those exact words at the Marauders in reprimand just yesterday. Marlene was a sixth year Gryffindor prefect, James's second cousin, a non-committal snogging buddy of Sirius's, and a good friend of Lily Evans. She had always teased the boys about their very obviousness in their secrecy not to mention the fact that she felt she had to do Lily's part in their concern. Lily could be very shy when she wasn't angry, and she particularly hated to approach James for fear he would ask her out – yet again.

And so Marlene had learned to mesh the two in a rather artful fashion. She both reprimanded and teased, somehow managing to do both her own and Lily's prefect duty concerning the four boys and still maintain a good relationship with James and Sirius.

The boys quickly made it up to their dorm, charming the door locked behind them. They had gotten rather lucky in regards to their dorm room. There had been quite a few boys in their year, and so two rooms had been dedicated to them. The Marauders had one room and Raeman McLaggen, Stephen Ackerley, Benjy Fenwick, Edmund Rastrick, and Jameson Patil had another just below theirs. As it was, they could do all their planning and preparation privately in their own room.

James spun around and sent a silencing charm at the door. "Sirius mate, what's going on? Did you find out anything about that girl?"

"Like you wouldn't believe mate," Sirius threw out distractedly. "Do you have the map Prongs? Give it here." He snatched it from James as it was offered and hurriedly whispered the password, turning and flipping the map until he reached the hospital wing.

"Ha! I knew that was a fake name!" Sirius smirked at the still, lonely dot at the back of the room, above which was clearly written "Hermione Granger".

"Umm, Sirius?" Remus interrupted. "Care to share, mate?"

Sirius looked up. "Huh? Oh, right, of course." And with that, Sirius launched into the story of the severity of the girl's injuries, her immediate fear and distrust upon seeing Dumbledore, her reluctant acceptance, the fake name (and now the real one), and her insistence upon speaking with Dumbledore privately. At the end he told them about how in the Entrance Hall she had known his name, and then how when she was talking to Pomfrey she had asked about him, and even implied she knew of his "talents" with the dark arts.

"I'm stumped with this girl guys. I want to be in on her meeting with Dumbledore tomorrow so badly, but he'll probably hold it in his office, and we all know we can't get in there." Sirius sighed, frustrated beyond belief.

Remus laid a calming hand on his shoulder. "I suppose we'll just have to be patient."

There was a moment of silence. And then Peter spoke up.

"Or… I mean, we could go talk to her ourselves." He looked at his startled mates sheepishly. Sometimes they thought everything had to be complicated.

"Well it's true isn't it? It might be impossible to get into Dumbledore's office, but it's easy to get into the hospital wing." The three other boys had those slightly perplexed expressions they always wore when Peter pointed out the obvious.

Most people thought that James, Sirius, and Remus were the brains of the Marauders, and that Peter was more just the tagalong that only got into their group because he shared a dorm with them. And it was true that the three other boys may never have realized the assets Peter provided if they hadn't been put into a dorm together. However, the cold truth was, they never would have accepted him into the tight ranks of their friendship if he had simply been an idiot they felt bad for (as so many believed).

It only seemed that way sometimes. Peter wasn't overly school smart, nor very handsome, or good at quidditch, or even very funny. Not to mention he hero-worshipped James and Sirius.

But he certainly held his own in their circle. He had a certain down-to-earth quality that allowed him to point out the obvious, while his friends were concocting the most harebrained – but brilliant – solution to a rather simple problem. Not to mention he was a rather attentive listener – even when no one knew he was listening. He blended into a crowd rather easily, and could put on a certain absent minded expression that made it look like he wasn't listening. Consequently he had dirt on everyone in the school (even the teachers) and often was able to "overhear" the teachers and prefects talking about patrolling schedules and routes. He had even been able to put together the monthly routes used by Filch – not that that could account for that thrice-cursed cat of his, but still.

Sirius had a ludicrously large smirk on his face. "Ah, Pete. I love it when you remind us how brilliant you are."

**BETA REQUEST – **I am looking for a beta for this story. My chapters are getting rather long, and I'm getting rather busy (and therefore, rather distractible) and it's becoming hard for me to beta this myself. If anyone with experience is interested, please PM me!


	4. Explanations

**A/N Sorry this chapter has been so long in coming. I hope people are still interested, but I can't promise it won't happen again. Surprisingly, fanfiction writers still have lives to attend…**

Hermione had woken up in the late afternoon of the next day, the pain foremost in her mind and the face of a young, unlined and unworn Sirius Black burned into the back of her eyelids. Immediately pushing the image aside, she had shuffled through her beaded bag and dressed as she began figuring what she was going to say to Dumbledore. Thoughts on the subject still coursed through her mind as she slowly made her way to the headmaster's office, escorted by a shy 6th year Hufflepuff boy (whom Madam Pomfrey had been just about to release from the Hospital wing after resolving a potions accident when Hermione had requested to meet with Dumbledore).

She was shaky on her feet at best, and the boy eyed her nervously as she continuously stumbled and let her hand drag along the stone walls, occasionally using it to keep her balance. Madam Pomfrey had been worried about her making the trip – and rightfully so, it seemed – but Hermione had quite insisted. She wanted the privacy and security of the headmaster's office when she spoke to Dumbledore. She knew the old man had taken certain _precautions _when it came to his privacy there, as she had learned from Fred and George. They had frequently complained of not being able to properly prank the Headmaster, due to the seemingly impenetrable wards around the place. It seemed that anyone Dumbledore had neither invited nor wanted could enter without their presence known.

She wanted to be particularly carefully when she spoke of her past, especially knowing the Marauders were about, and knew she was there. Or something like that.

She had to remember that at this point the 4 boys had almost free reign of the school, and it would be almost impossible to conceal everything that she had decided to do if they took an interest in her. Which she was pretty sure they already had.

And so, she would go about this carefully.

She had a plan.

When they arrived at the eagle statue that stood guard over the headmaster's office, Hermione turned to the boy who had escorted her there and quietly thanked him. He took that as his cue to leave.

Hermione took a deep breath and recited the password Madam Pomfrey had given her (sugar quills) and stepped quickly onto the first step of the rising spiral staircase so it would carry her up as it turned. When she reached the door, Hermione knocked lightly and waited for Dumbledore to call enter. She quietly swung the door open when he did, stepping into the familiar room.

"Ah, Miss Corvus. I've been expecting you." Hermione had to blink a couple times, looking at Dumbledore. Thinking about talking to him was one thing, but being faced with a man she had considered dead for a year… Well it was disconcerting.

"Professor, I'd like to get straight to the point." Hermione forwent all the pleasantries, simply plopping herself into one of the familiar plush armchairs in front of the headmaster's desk. The professor sat back and knit his fingers together, giving the girl his full attention.

"As soon as I realized where I was, it was clear to me what I had to do. You see, I _know_ you Professor. Professor McGonagall as well, Madam Pomfrey, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin. People I saw last night. The issue with that, is that _you don't know my name_.

There was a pause, and then Dumbledore said exactly what Hermione expected. "I'm not sure I understand, Miss Corvus."

"Of course not, it's all so implausible! But let me expand. There are other issues with my previous statement. For instance, three of the people I listed are dead. Remus Lupin fell in battle beside his wife only hours before a cursed knife was embedded in my chest. I was suspicious of you because I assumed you to be an impostor. Because one year ago, I attended your funeral. A year before that we buried Sirius Black's wand in place of his lost body after he fell through the veil in the Department of Mysteries."

"And that brings up a slew of other questions. There hasn't been a wizarding battle in decades, so how could Remus have died in one, with a wife that doesn't exist? Who would dare impersonate Albus Dumbledore? Why would they care enough about a young girl to try? How did Sirius Black even get into the Department of Mysteries, and why did he fall through the veil there?

"And Professor, it seems there is only one answer. You see, my name isn't Serenade Corvus, not really. Nor do I know you, Sirius, or Remus, Professor McGonagall or Madame Pomfrey. Not _yet_. Professor Dumbledore, my name is Hermione Granger. I was originally born approximately 5 years from now. A muggleborn, at 11 I was approached by Professor McGonagall – Transfiguration Professor and Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I came to Hogwarts, and became acquainted with one Ronald Weasley, the 6th son of Molly and Arthur Weasley. I also met Harry James Potter, first and only son of the long deceased Lily and James Potter. I attended school with them for 6 years, then went on the run with them as the worst case scenario came to fruition.

"Muggleborns were hunted, wizards who couldn't prove their lineage were subjected to the dementor's kiss. The Ministry was a sham, a front of stability put up to stop other countries from interfering – not that they didn't already have enough reason to, they were simply too afraid. The Order of the Phoenix was in shambles, most of them separated and in hiding. All children who weren't fugitives were forced to attend Hogwarts, it being run by Death Eaters. Voldemort – you know him better as Tom Riddle, I believe – was practically immortal."

"But there was some hope. One boy…" Hermione paused, her voice shaking. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Professor, I think that might be enough of the past – future? – for now. I need to tell you how I got here. There was a battle, a huge battle. I think everyone knew it would be the last, however it ended. Everyone seemed to have gathered. Taking them by surprise, we and quite a few hidden students along with some of the still loyal staff were able to expel the Death Eaters from Hogwarts. As we secured it, word spread through the separated parts of the Order. They began to arrive through a special passage way, assisted by your brother Aberforth." Hermione's whole body was trembling, stricken with the memories of the hope that had coursed through everyone as the Order gathered. It was suffocating, knowing how false a feeling it had turned out to be.

"Forgive me, Professor Dumbledore, but I'd rather not relive the whole battle…" Hermione looked up at him, and he nodded understandingly. She swallowed, then continued. She had to get it all out, or she never would.

"So many were dead – friends, enemies… children, house-elves, giants… Severus Snape. Remus and Tonks. FredWeasley." Hermione shuttered a breath, tasting the salt of tears on her lips. "We kept fighting. Even after we thought we had lost everything, we had our hope renewed… That's when it happened. Harry was dueling with Voldemort with a determination so intense I thought he couldn't lose. I was trying to get to him, to help him. That was my job, it always has been…" At the light taste of blood, Hermione realized she had bitten the inside of her cheek too hard. "I was almost there, just within Harry's sight. But then that crazy _bitch_…"

Hermione's hand had drifted to her sleeve, and now gripped tightly the want concealed there. She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself, but the pain coursing through her was no longer just a memory. It was the residual effects of the curse. Sometimes the pain was random, but most often it reacted to her memories of the original torture. Hermione resolutely ignored it, gritting her teeth and speaking through them as she continued.

"B- Bellatrix Lestrange. She took me by surprise, before I knew it I was on the ground. She didn't take my wand – she's always been reckless. After I'd been down for… I really can't be sure how long it was, but… Ron came. I was able to get up, and together we were doing relatively well. But Bellatrix has a thing for knives." Hermione gave a humorless chuckle as her hand drifted from her wand to her left arm, squeezing the slur carved into it. Madam Pomfrey had put some kind of salve on the scars and bandaged over it. Hermione knew it would do nothing. "I should know…"

Dumbledore finally interrupted. "Bellatrix Lestrange, formerly Bellatrix Black. Yes I had always feared she would take that turn…"

Hermione pursed her lips. She knew Dumbledore would say something of that sort. He always had too much faith in people… She shrugged off the comment and moved on. She would address it later. "I lost a bit of time there, when the knife was in my chest. I don't remember falling, but when I woke I was on the ground. I could barely move, and Luna – Luna Lovegood – was standing over me, fighting Bellatrix with Ron."

"It was my fault… I distracted Ron. It was all I could do not to scream until my voice was gone, but… Ron was too concerned with me. I think I had my wand, but… Next thing I know, Ron is dodging a curse just barely too late. Luna kept going, but Harry saw Ron fall. That boy was always too loyal. He went down too, probably trying to save me and Ron."

She stopped for a minute, having a painful moment of silence for her fallen friends. Dumbledore didn't say a word, sensing her sorrow. He simply summoned a goblet and filled it with water after a moment, offering it to her across the desk. Hermione nodded gratefully and sipped it. She hadn't realized how dry her throat had been. After some deep breaths though, she pressed on.

"I had a time-turner. It was given to me in my 3rd year at Hogwarts, because I was taking too many classes to fit into a week. Professor McGonagall allowed me to keep it for other studying purposes even after that, as I was still taking more classes than usual. When we went on the run, I started keeping it around my neck, just in case… I knew it was unlikely – I knew the dangers and limitations of time travel, after all. But during that battle, at that moment… Our last hope was gone. Everyone I loved was dead, or on their way. I pulled it out, but I knew it was too late." Hermione reached again for the chain around her neck. She had put it back on this morning, knowing she would need to show it to Dumbledore.

She pulled it out of her shirt and off of her neck, extending it to Dumbledore. "While it was out, a curse hit it. I'm not sure what curse, or why it had such an effect, but here I am. Just about 23 years in the past. Time-turners are still experimental magic, even in my time, and closely regulated. I can't be sure about all of them, but that time-turner," Hermione said as she gestured to the broken pendant the Headmaster was now examining, "only turns back hours. I'm not sure how far you could go using it, but I don't believe it was intended to go this far. And I know for certain that any time-turner fit for use here, in the 70s could neither send me forward in time, nor that far." Hermione watched as Dumbledore nodded, still examining her broken time-turner.

"You are correct, Miss Granger. Very few time-turners are even relatively safe at the moment, and though they are similar to this one, I am not certain we would be able to reproduce the reverse effect your mystery curse had on it. It would be too dangerous to try, in any case – especially without involving the Department of Mysteries, which I am sure you understand we cannot do…" He looked her in the eyes, his expression hard to read. She nodded, and he continued. "Thus, your implication is correct. We cannot, at this time, return you to your original time…"

Hermione nodded as she spoke. "So then, you understand where I am going with this. … I'm sure you see our options. The first is that I could do my best to disappear – kill myself, most likely, or possibly live in hiding. Do my utmost not to disturb the timeline." Dumbledore pursed his lips. He had two conflicting views here. From all of their interaction in her time, her discussions with McGonagall, her research – Albus Dumbledore was of the firm belief that no good would come of messing with time. However, he also liked to think he would never take an innocent life, even to try and save others – though Hermione knew his "Greater Good" got the best of him eventually.

Dumbledore interrupted her thoughts. "Yes, I see, though I don't believe you would be telling me all of this, if you had decided to take that option."

She nodded, "You're right Professor. The second option, is that I change the future." She let this sink in for a moment before continuing. "Professor Dumbledore, I know your views on trying to change the future. You've said that no good will come of it. But I personally don't see how I could make it much worse. As far as I could see… We had no future. I am in a unique position to do some good here. I know Voldemort's plans. I know his allies, I know his _weaknesses_. I intend now to exploit them. My regret is that I wasn't sent back far enough to stop him from ever rising to power."

"I'm telling all of this to you now, Professor, because I will not be able to accomplish anything without help. I'm hoping you will agree to assist me. If you decide accepting the future I have described is the option you would rather take, then you will have to kill me. Because I do not intend to give up."

Hermione stopped there, sitting back and taking deep breaths. She watched Dumbledore closely as he contemplated, his body still, his eyes wandering.

Finally, he spoke, and Hermione held her breath. "Your words have not given me much choice. I cannot stand by and watch your tale become reality." He almost smiled at Hermione's small sigh of relief.

"I will do all I can to assist you, Miss Granger."

"Please," She interjected, "Call me Hermione."


End file.
